This invention relates to a flight for a link chain conveyor and, more particularly, to a mechanically attached flight.
In specially arduous applications, such as log woodyards, flight equipped conveyors must not only be rugged and reliable but easily repairable. The general operating conditions do not permit the use of complex connections to insure the foregoing requirements. Therefore, one or more have been sacrificed--as where the flight is welded to one of the chain links. This frustrates easy repair and also prevents repositioning of the flight along the length of the chain as circumstances may dictate. This same drawback applies to the many varieties of split link flight connections--see for example, co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,456.
Attempts have been made in the past to provide mechanically attached fights to ordinary links, such as co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,957. Such direct and simple connections have been tried for many years--see for example, U.S. Pat. No. 540,617. None of these has succeeded primarily due to severe structural limitations.
In contrast, the invention which makes use of a uniquely attached conveyor flight has operated well past 5000 operating hours on field trial with no operating, structural or mechanical problems.
According to the invention, the flight can be connected to any desired vertical link--it not being necessary to burn the chain links or perform any other welding operation so that the user can change spacings of the flights quickly and economically.
The invention employs cavity means within the flight which receives a locking plate which extends through any predetermined link and is releasably maintained in place by means of a threaded lock received in a recess means communicating with the cavity means. In turn, I provide a keeper means which cooperates with the threaded lock and recess means for releasably maintaining the flight on position on a predetermined link. Thus, there is provided a two-stage unlocking mechanism--but one which is readily performed, even under disadvantageous field conditions. The two stage lock is similar to that I have employed in connection with excavating teeth as represented by co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,532.